Liquid-assisted vapor-solid-solid silicon nanowire growth mechanism revealed by in situ TEM when using Cu-Sn bimetallic catalysts

The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) and vapor-solid-solid (VSS) growth mechanisms are widely used to obtain silicon nanowires. In this paper, we report on a hybrid method based on the use of a dual-phase catalyst made of liquid Sn and solid Cu 3 Si, which results in a liquid-assisted VSS (LA-VSS) mechanism. The silicon atoms are brought by atomic hydrogen-assisted dissociation of silane molecules. We observe the growth in situ, in the transmission electron microscope, at